Ne Sensai!
by Snow Tigra
Summary: Au. Duo goes to college looking for a childhood love, but ends up in a flurry of situations he was NOT prepared for!
1. Prolouge

Title: Ne, Sensai!  
Series: Gundam Wing  
Author: Snow Tigra  
Rating: R… because even I don't know what to expect  
Pairing: many many many pairing… I swear this thing's going to turn into a soap opera!  
Warnings: AU, confuzzlement, teachers, teaching assistants, students and college  
Spoilers: nope, none, nada  
Archive: Fanfiction.net  
  
Author's Note: This fanfic is loosely based on the anime Kusatta Kyoshi no Houteshiki (Rotten Teacher's Equation)… but, as usual, I added my own twists so don't expect it to follow the original anime very closely.  
  
Prologue  
  
"You're going to fall!"  
  
Duo glanced up in surprise and grabbed the next branch above him. Making sure he had a tight grip he glanced down below, all the way to the street beneath him. It was such a long way down now that he actually looked…  
  
A young blond boy, only a little older than himself, stood under the tree looking up at him. Short blond curls covered his head and his eyes matched the clear blue sky, as a worried expression crossed his face.  
  
"Come down or you're going to fall!" The boy cried.  
  
Duo just smirked. "No!" He called down. "See I don't need to worry about falling now!"  
  
The young blond blinked in confusion.  
  
Duo pulled himself up onto the next branch and sat down, ignoring the sap from the tree which covered his hands and shorts. Grinning from ear to ear he closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in the scent of pine. He loved that smell, pine had to be the most wonderful smelling thing in the world… at least to a ten year old.  
  
"See I was worried about falling before," He called back down, opening his eyes once more. "But now there's someone below me so if I fall you can go get help."  
  
The boy opened his mouth to respond but must have decided to stop because he just shook his head and gave a light laugh.   
  
"What's you name? Mine's Duo!"  
  
"Quatre," the boy yelled back.  
  
Duo grinned and leaned forward to call to him, he wanted the blond haired boy to join him, to see the view. It was so beautiful this high up…  
  
But his balance slipped and his eyes widened. Giving a cry of surprise he tumbled forward and dropped through the air. Branches flew around him, zooming past faster than the fastest bird. He closed his eyes and sent his arms flailing, trying to catch a branch.  
  
But he couldn't grab onto any of them!  
  
He was going to hit the ground and he was going to hit it hard!  
  
A second later he did, but it wasn't nearly as hard as he thought it would be. The impact hurt a lot and he felt a sharp pain jump through his ankle, but otherwise nothing else really hurt save for small bruises. It took a few moments for him to realize that someone had caught him…  
  
His eyes snapped open and he found himself lying on top of the blond boy. The boy had tried to catch him and the force of the fall had sent them both to the ground. Both were now covered with dirt from the ground and sap from the tree, not to mention they were surrounded by small broken branches that Duo had snapped on his way down.  
  
"Are you ok?" Duo asked quickly in worry.  
  
The blond boy opened his eyes and winced, but a small smile crossed his face. "I told you you would fall."  
  
Duo smiled back. "Lucky you were here to catch me."  
  
Their eyes locked for a moment and both smiled at each other.  
  
From that day on, until nearly five years later, the two were inseparable.  
  
**  
  
Duo grinned at his reflection in the mirror and straightened the red tie. He hated school uniforms when he was younger but now all he could do was smile at himself happily. This was more then a school uniform, this was proof that his goals were finally accomplished and now his future was set.  
  
Years of digging in gardens and taking chores around the neighborhood for money and not spending a single dime had finally paid off. He was finally going to the Academy like he'd always dreamed. Finally! The day had finally come!  
  
Winking at himself in the mirror he gave himself a thumbs up.   
  
"Won't you be surprised Q-man when you see me today? Three years…" He shook his head and the grin slipped back into place. "I can't wait!"  
  
Duo left the house with his school bag in high hopes of seeing his old childhood friend. Three years had seemed like an eternity to him, mostly because Quatre wasn't just a friend. Somewhere along the line of them being close friends Duo's feelings had evolved. He now knew without a doubt that he loved Quatre.  
  
This year, his first year of college, would be a year of discovery. He planned to find Quatre and tell him straight to his face, tell him just how much he actually loved him. And from there he could only hope for the best…  
  
However one has to wonder how he would have reacted if he knew that his school year would be filled with visions of cobalt blue eyes and messy brown hair. Truly, by stepping on that bus to the college, Duo Maxwell had no idea what he was getting himself into! 


	2. Part 1

Chapter 1  
  
The train ride to the college was long and cramped. Still, Duo couldn't get over his excitement over the whole situation. First of all riding a train to college rather than one of those silly little buses was great! Riding with a whole large group of people was so much better then being stuck in a cramped little yellow bus with children that were generally loud and noisy and younger than him. Yes, he could so get used to a train full of older people, who weren't incessantly noisy and didn't tend to jump from seat to seat, throw things… the normal things one was accustomed to in high school. Or at least where he had gone to high school.  
  
Duo turned his attention to the buildings as they passed by and grinned. This day was starting out so perfectly and he just couldn't wait to see the look on Quatre's face when he finally got there. He seriously couldn't wait! He just knew he'd find Quatre there on the first day, after all the college couldn't be that big, he should easily be able to find one person…  
  
The train pulled to its stop and Duo was the first one out the door, nimbly dodging around the suited adults on their way to the office. Using his perfected crowd weaving technique from cramped high school hallways he made his way quickly out of the train station and onto the sidewalk.  
  
Now according to the map it was another two blocks in that direction…  
  
Turning the corner he suddenly found himself in a light wave of students, all heading for the same large brick building. All of them were about his age, but the scene was so different from high school. He was so used to the generic high school students, dressed in the generic school uniforms with only their hair and their height to really tell them apart. But now… now…  
  
Variety was the name of the game.   
  
In a single look one could tell the newer students from the older students, and it wasn't simply a matter of age. The freshmen, much like himself, wore school uniforms from the high school they'd attended the previous year. It wasn't a fashion statement, that's for sure - since no one in their right mind would prefer to wear school uniforms - instead it made perfect sense for new students. After all they were new students, in a new place with a completely new set of rules. Being able to wear one's old school uniform was a type of comfort, something to latch onto in an uncomfortable place, least that was the way Duo saw it.  
  
The older students, however, were a different matter. They wore whatever they felt like, ranging from the latest fashions to clothes that had obviously lost the battle of attempting to avoid another day of wear by hiding under the bed. Brand name shirts and color coordinated outfits versus ripped jeans and rumpled t-shirts. Duo felt like he'd stepped into a completely different world; it was all so completely different from high school.  
  
The college looked basically like a larger version of high school. Due to the fact that it was an exclusive Academy that charged high prices they could afford to have a small student body and only a few buildings. Neatly planted flower gardens lined the edges of the paths which twisted tastefully toward the buildings. A wash of colors, arranged nearly perfectly and accented by a small Japanese garden off to one side in the shade of a circle of cherry trees. Duo grinned; he already knew where he'd prefer to study.  
  
He crossed the road, heading straight for the main entrance gates. Soon he'd be inside, soon he'd be in college, it was all so close, so within reach…  
  
Tires screeched to the side of him and Duo whirled around in the middle of the road. He turned around so fast at the approaching sound that he stumbled to the ground and scraped his shoulder against the pavement, tearing his shirt a bit. He cursed and winced at the sharp pain as he saw a blur of black screech to a halt not a few feet away.  
  
"Why you-!" Duo jumped to his feet and rubbed his shoulder, glaring angrily at the tinted windows. "Why don't you watch where you're going?! Just because you drive a big, fancy, expensive car doesn't mean you own the road! Some people walk to class you know, some people-"  
  
Duo's voice cut off as the window slid down with a small automatic whine. His eyes widened as he viewed the driver inside.  
  
Black sunglasses were the first thing he saw, sleek glasses with wire frames that perfectly reflected twin clones of himself who only stared back. The face was young, but still older than Duo, and was framed with chocolate colored hair that was tousled all about. Duo took an involuntary step back in surprise as a hand came up and tilted down the glasses to reveal dangerously glaring midnight blue eyes.  
  
Duo's voice and breath caught in his throat and he completely lost track of everything he was going to say. His mind came up blank. There was nothing to say to those eyes, absolutely nothing at all.  
  
The mystery man's mouth tilted up in a slight smirk and he pressed his glasses back into place. Then the window was up and the car was moving again, out of sight down the road before Duo could even catch his breath. A couple of blinks and deep breaths later he realized he was still standing in the middle of the road. Quickly he collected himself and moved to the sidewalk, melding in with the flow of students heading for their rooms.  
  
Taking his seat in the classroom he frowned deeply.   
  
"Just who did that jerk think he was? He nearly killed me before my first day of class! How dare he! I swear if I ever see him again…"  
  
The door to the classroom entered and a man wearing a light gray outfit stepped into the classroom, heading for the desk. Immediately all the students settled down and Duo froze in his seat.  
  
It was the same guy…  
  
The guy with the car…  
  
The guy with the eyes…  
  
The man fixed a glare on the classroom as a whole but Duo could have sworn he was the center of that glare, receiving the bulk of the weight. The man stepped behind his desk and took a piece of chalk and wrote three simple letters on the board. Turning to face the rest of the class he leaned against the otherwise blank black board.  
  
"Professor Yuy," he said simply.   
  
Upon closer inspection Duo no realized that Professor Yuy was clearly of Japanese descent. His sunglasses were gone now, only to be replaced by tasteful wire frame glasses that had the effect of making him look like he should be listen in a class, not teaching it. Adding to the effect was the fact that the professor couldn't be more then a few inches taller then Duo, he wouldn't have been surprised if they were actually the same height.  
  
Duo slid back in his chair, wishing he could just sink out of sight. This guy was his professor? His first professor in his first class for the next five months? Oh dear stars, how in the world was he going to be able to do this? College professors were supposed to be older guys with beards or older women in with their hair in power-buns and skirts to their ankles. But this guy totally broke all the rules.  
  
For one thing he had those eyes.  
  
For the other he was drop dead gorgeous.  
  
Finally he had a killer voice.  
  
Duo couldn't help but groan as he listened to the lecture begin. He really wanted to find Quatre after these three years, and he was still set on the goal. But having this professor to distract his thoughts was going to be horrible. He wasn't attracted to the guy, no, of course not! Still he couldn't help but admit that Professor Yuy was hot beyond belief.  
  
And he couldn't help but hang on the young professor's every word.  
  
**  
  
A normal student he was not, but then that was obvious the moment you saw him. A normal student just simply didn't look like this… a normal student simply didn't look this good.  
  
It wasn't that Milliardo Peacecraft was stuck up, he just simply knew the truth about his appearance. After all, one could hardly ignore the truth when it constantly flung itself in one's face day after day with each admirer. Today's admirer of choice was a moderately tall female with curled red hair that brushed tastefully across her shoulders. Unlike the others her age she still wore her high school uniform, with the skirt hiked up to show off her long legs. Milliardo had to admit that the deep green did suit her, and brought out the color in her hair almost perfectly, not to mention that it emphasized her lips.  
  
At the moment she was sitting next to him, speaking about something that really didn't hold his attention, though most things didn't these days. He admitted that he enjoyed the attention from the girls, but he didn't encourage it… much. Instead Milliardo felt it was pointless to avoid the truth, if girls wanted to throw themselves at him because of his long silky blond hair and killer light blue eyes who was he to stop them? Why not let them live out their little adolescent fantasies, even if it only lasted for a day.  
  
He leaned back in the grass and ran a hand through his hair, glancing up at the sky above. A glance to the side and he took in the student body sitting outside. Whenever it was a nice day out the school lawns seemed to be covered with more students then flowers. It was as if there was some rule that everyone had to be in class or be outside, and that's how things were supposed to be. So there were people everywhere, sitting around eating, studying, sun bathing, playing Frisbee… you name it.   
  
One particular person caught his eye, stepping out of the main school building, only to lean up against the brick wall and breath a deep sigh of relief as he ran a hand over his long braid. This boy looked particularly stressed about something, but then that was normal. Milliardo could easily see that he was a freshman, due to his choice in clothing for the first day and his discomfort at the whole setting around him.   
  
Yet that light brown braid seemed to catch Milliardo's eyes and he swore he recognized it from somewhere…  
  
"Oh, here she comes."   
  
The deep pouting voice of his latest admirer broke his concentration and he glanced back at her. He didn't need to look around to see who was coming; he knew that tone well enough.  
  
"Brother, I need to talk to you." Her voice was tossed across the lawn, low and commanding.   
  
"You best be off, I'll see you tomorrow." For good measure Milliardo ran his hand through her deep red hair and he could have sworn he heard her give a purr like a young kitten. Still, like the well trained little fangirl she was, the redhead stood up and took off across the grass, only pausing briefly to toss an angry glare in the direction of the other approaching girl, then she was gone.  
  
"I honestly don't see why you lead them on like that! After all, they all know you're gay anyways."  
  
Milliardo turned a seductive smile toward his twin sister and shrugged, leaning back across the grass. "I hear that's what makes me even more attractive to them."  
  
Relena frowned deeply, communicating her disapproval. "You're just going to break hearts and gain enemies. Why do you even bother?"  
  
"It would be more of a trouble to chase them off." He shielded his eyes from the sun and glanced to her. "Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?"  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is." Relena crossed her arms and looked straight down at him, assuming the 'scolding' pose that Milliardo knew so well. Relena did take after their mother after all, and no one was better at scolding then their mother. You might have heard the phrase 'hell hath no fury…' but that fury was nothing compared to the anger of his mother when tapped. And Relena had definitely inherited a good portion of that temper and cunning, and what was worse she knew how to use it perfectly to her advantage, just like her brother knew how to flaunt his looks.  
  
He waited patiently for her to get the little scolding session over with.  
  
"There's a new principal this year. I expect you already know that. I just wanted to remind you what happened with the last one, and that if you keep this up this year you'll never make it out of the school. You need to stop fooling around so much with girls and start paying attention in class, brother. If you don't we're not going to be able to graduate together, and you know how much mother would disapprove of that. After all that work you went through to convince her to let you keep your job while in college…"  
  
Milliardo tuned her out with a hidden smile. Convince nothing, his mother had been a pushover for accepting the idea of the job. And he kept his grades good enough to keep both parents happy, true they weren't ecstatic but his grades were good enough to keep them quiet. The new principal on the other hand…  
  
"Oh, not again."  
  
Milliardo blinked, noticing his sister had stopped with her rant and was now looking across the lawn with a pitiful expression on her face.  
  
"See, that's what I mean. You don't want them to think you're gay, brother. Look at what they're doing to that poor new kid."  
  
Milliardo sat up and turned. True to her word he found that the boy he'd noticed earlier was now surrounded by a group of four upperclassmen, who were all leering and glaring at him with angry faces. Milliardo watched as one of them grabbed the boy's long braid, which he snatched back fiercely and protectively. The boy tried to dodge around them but they blocked his path, and one of them grabbed his hair again. The boy yelled something at them and Milliardo caught a glimpse of distinctive purple eyes.  
  
He'd thought so!  
  
Pushing his sister's talk to the back of his mind, and her whole presence period, he stood up and walked over. Straight or not no one deserved to be treated horribly on their first day, especially not when they were one of his close friends that he hadn't seen in ages. He didn't usually get into fights but this required some action.  
  
There was no way Milliardo was going to let Duo get beat up just because of his lovely long hair. 


	3. Part 2

Chapter 2  
  
Bad to worse.  
  
That's how his day was going. First the incident with the teacher, then having to sit through the entire class with him. Duo could have sworn that the whole time the professor was staring at him, glaring at him, making his hair stand on end and his skin crawl. Why in the world did the prof have to stare at him so much? After all, wasn't it Heero who'd nearly run him over?  
  
But he didn't have time to worry about his annoyingly handsome professor; instead he had bigger problems to worry about. Five bigger problems to be precise.  
  
It never failed. No matter where he went he seemed to attract bullies like a light to moths. They seemed to congregate around him the moment he was alone, and his whole run-in with Heero Yuy had made him completely forget the first rule of attending school. Never be alone on your first day. Especially not in college! He'd made the same mistake his freshman year in high school and paid dearly for it, and now Duo could only curse his stupidity at repeating the mistake again.  
  
Insults were tossed back and forth at Duo as the five boys closed in. Duo didn't pay attention to the jeers, having heard them all before. Instead he paid more attention to the boys, trying to decide the best route of action. But then one of them reached forward and snatched up part of his hair and his good nature faltered. Duo's eyes narrowed and he snatched his braid back.  
  
"Don't touch me," he hissed angrily, trying to shove past one of the boys.  
  
The larger boy only sneered and shoved him back up against the wall. "We're not done talking with you yet. You see, we don't like gay boys like you hanging around our school. See when other people see you around they assume we're just as sick as you."  
  
"Who says you aren't?" Duo returned, glaring at the boys. He knew he shouldn't egg them on but he couldn't help it. It was almost like reflex, get the enemy angry enough and they'll make a mistake and you can get away. Least that's how it usually worked…  
  
One of the boys snorted at Duo's comment, obviously not impressed and suddenly he felt a hard fist connect with his stomach. Duo doubled over and clutched himself, biting his lip against the pain. He hadn't seen that one coming and it hurt like hell!  
  
A hand reached forward and grabbed his braid, tugging it sharply to the side, causing Duo to let out a small cry of pain. Pulling himself together he kicked out his leg at one of the boys and succeeded in kicking him in the crotch, but was rewarded with another hard punch to his side, knocking him over into the hold of one of the other boys.  
  
Strong arms held him tightly, preventing escape as another punch hit the side of his head. Stars filled his vision for a second, colors shifting around him. Duo struggled blindly, trying madly to think of a way out of the situation, but he couldn't come up with anything. Panic rose in his mind, but it died down quickly as he realized the beating had stopped. Duo blinked and looked up, finding that all the boys' heads had turned toward someone heading their way across the grass.  
  
"I said, leave him alone." The voice was calm and threatening, a low tone of malice. Immediately Duo felt the arms holding him slacken and pull away. The bullies around him backed off a step, allowing him to see that the man approaching them was a tall and very attractive blond, with hair falling down around his shoulders. Piercing, icy blue eyes glared at the five surrounding Duo.  
  
"Peacecraft," one of the boys murmured.  
  
The blond stopped in front of them and hissed. "If I ever see you touch him again…"  
  
The boys didn't stay around to listen. Something about the tone in the blonde's voice made them all turn around and run, putting as much distance between them as possible. Duo's eyes widened and he turned around, watching them disappear back into the school building. Swallowing hard he winced as his face and stomach throbbed more. They'd hit him pretty hard…  
  
"Are you all right, Duo?"  
  
Duo turned back to the blond and nodded slowly, wincing at the pain. He blinked. "Wait, do I know you?"  
  
The blond chuckled softly and gestured for Duo to follow him. "You got hit pretty bad, and you're bleeding. We should get you some bandages at least."  
  
Duo followed him back into the school building, desperately racking his brain. How the heck did this guy know his name? After all the only blond he knew at this school was Quatre, but Quatre looked nothing like this. This man, whom the bullies had called Peacecraft, was much taller then Quatre would probably ever be. Not to mention the color of his eyes was wrong, it was too cold. And the way he moved as he walked just didn't fit the Quatre that Duo knew. He couldn't picture Quatre ever swaying as he walked in such a way to show off his body to every set of wandering eyes.  
  
But then who?  
  
The two turned down the corner and found themselves at a closed door with a sign for the Nurse's Office. The blond pushed open the door and glanced in, then pushed it open wider so they could both enter. Duo stepped in and sat down on the edge of an empty bed while the taller blond leaned back against a large bookshelf, posing as if it were completely natural.  
  
Duo's eyes widened. "No way…"  
  
The blond raised an eyebrow. "The nurse isn't in, so we'll have to wait. Something wrong?"  
  
"Milly?"  
  
The blond let out a laugh, a smile crossing his face. "No one's called me that for ages. And how many times do I have to tell you, it's Milliardo?"  
  
Duo joined in with his own laugh, despite the growing bruise on the side of his face. "What in the world are you doing here? I thought your family would send you to some huge rich college, like a prep school or something."  
  
"And I'm surprised you didn't recognize me." Milliardo leaned forward and tapped Duo on the nose, causing him to blink and pull back in surprise. "Shame on you, Duo Maxwell."  
  
Duo rubbed his nose and made a face. "Can you blame me? It's been more then a few years and besides you certainly didn't look so… so…"  
  
"So what?" The amusement showed clearly on Milliardo's face.  
  
"So, umm, well…" Duo coughed. "You look different, that's all." He turned away hiding the blush on his face.  
  
Milliardo's smirk grew and he leaned forward, closer to Duo's face. "And is there anything wrong with that?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes shining with amusement.  
  
Duo scrambled back across the bed and nearly tumbled off the other side in his haste. "Stop that!"  
  
The blond just laughed and pulled back, moving back to his spot against the bookshelf. Duo sighed with relief and ran a hand through his bangs, furiously trying to banish his blush.   
  
"You haven't changed one bit," he murmured, smoothing out the front of his shirt and diverting his eyes from Milliardo's face. "You still flirt like there's no tomorrow with anything that breathes."  
  
"I'm hurt."  
  
Duo smirked. "No you're not, because you know it's the truth."  
  
The blond beauty leaned back against the bookshelf and turned his head, causing his hair to cascade over his shoulders. "What can I say? It is the truth. But it would be a crime to let beauty like this go to waste, don't you think?" He turned and locked eyes with Duo, giving him a sultry smile. "Duo."  
  
Duo froze at the look and his breath caught in his throat. He hated it when Milliardo used his looks like that; the guy was so beautiful it was mesmerizing. Duo had thought he was beautiful four years ago but now it was even better… or worse. Milliardo had to be one of the most attractive young men in the school, and the problem was that he knew it. Duo quickly looked away as his face heated up.  
  
"So what are you doing here at this school?" Milliardo asked, turning his attention to the books on the shelf behind him. He asked the question as if he had done nothing wrong, like he'd completely forgotten the large amount of flirting he'd just done. Duo shook his head and nearly groaned; he'd forgotten how infuriating his old friend was.  
  
"I heard this was the school Quatre was at."  
  
Duo watched Milliardo's reaction to that one very carefully. Milliardo had known Quatre for a brief time but as far as Duo knew they'd never really spoken. But the blond would have had to have been blind if he didn't know how much Duo was in love with Quatre. Milliardo had to know about it, because Duo had never made any attempt to hide it from anyone, except maybe Quatre…  
  
But if the blond had a reaction to Duo's statement he didn't show it. The strangest thing was that Duo expected a reaction. He expected Milliardo to get angry, to yell at him, or to just shake his head sadly and tell him it was hopeless. You see, the situation was a lot more complicated between Duo and Milliardo then it should have been. It was no secret that Milliardo had his eyes set on Duo, Duo knew this, but he'd never been interested. The only one he wanted in his life was Quatre.  
  
The earlier flirting made it clear that Milliardo did still care for Duo yet he wasn't reacting to Duo's statement about coming here to find Quatre. Duo immediately felt a little guilty, he felt like he was flaunting his feelings for Quatre in front of Milliardo's face.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't know you were at this school."  
  
Milliardo looked up from a book he'd pulled off the shelf and started leafing through. "Why are you apologizing? Would it have mattered if you did know?"  
  
"No! Well, uhh, I mean to say… that is…" Duo gave a helpless look as he tried to recover.  
  
Meanwhile Milliardo closed the book and flashed him a dazzling smile. "You're so cute when you're flustered Duo. Still as cute as ever."  
  
Duo frowned. "I am not cute!"  
  
Milliardo just chuckled.  
  
The blond opened his mouth, probably for a comeback of some kind aimed to make Duo blush more, when the loud speaker over them clicked on. Both glanced up at the speaker imbedded in the ceiling.  
  
"Will Milliardo Peacecraft please report to the dean's office."  
  
Duo blinked in surprise, as did Milliardo.  
  
"You do something wrong? On the first day?"  
  
Milliardo just shrugged. "I guess I did. One of those boys who attacked you probably said something. You stay here for the nurse; I'll be back. This shouldn't take long."  
  
Duo smirked as Milliardo headed for the door. "Don't be too rough with the dean, Milly."  
  
Milliardo's head snuck back in through the door. "Stop calling me that!" His tone was playful and he tried to sound angry, but the smile on his face just ruined the whole attempt. Duo gave him a wave and watched his shadow retreat through the tinted glass in the door.  
  
Sighing softly he leaned back on the bed, waiting for the nurse to arrive and trying to sort out his thoughts.  
  
Milliardo was at this school? It felt like high school all over again with his friends around him. He hadn't known that this was where his friend had gone and since they were two years apart in age that'd been two years since they'd really had a chance to talk, or even hang out together. But then it was really awkward to hang out with someone who you knew had the major hots for you. Duo even remembered how Milliardo used to corner him in empty classrooms up against the wall and kiss him.   
  
It'd never gone beyond that, and it was always Milly who started it, but still… It made it awkward to be close friends with the guy.  
  
Duo closed his eyes and sighed.   
  
Milliardo or not, it didn't really matter. His main point in coming to this college was to find Quatre and in the end that was the goal he would accomplish. Even if everything blew up in his face he was determined to find his love and tell him the truth. He'd tell Quatre that he loved him, finally. Finally after all these years of keeping his feelings hidden he was going to do something about it.   
  
"I know you're here Quatre, wait for me?" Duo murmured softly.  
  
Beside him the door slid open and he heard someone step into the room. Duo opened his eyes and his gasped in surprise.  
  
The man standing before him was the very last person he'd ever suspected to see in a white nurse's coat.   
  
No way! 


	4. Part 3

Chapter 3  
  
Midnight blue eyes stared back at him and Duo panicked. He scrambled backward across the bed, falling to the floor on the other side and banging his head on the wall. Grabbing the back of his head, he groaned and sat up.  
  
He had to have been imagining things. There was no way that this was the same-  
  
But it was.  
  
Professor Yuy stood in front of the now closed door wearing a long white nurses jacket, hanging open over the outfit he'd worn in class. The wire frame glasses were slowly creeping down his nose, causing him to look just a bit over the top before he pushed them up and just watched Duo with an expectant look. Duo debated crawling under the bed to hide.  
  
"Generally people hurt themselves before they come to health services, not after." The man said, turning away from Duo and walking to his desk. Duo swallowed and stood up, wincing slightly in pain.  
  
"Generally professors aren't allowed to scare the crap out of their students. That's twice you've nearly killed me!"  
  
The man turned back to Duo and raised an amused eyebrow. "You stepped out in front of my car. And you were the one who hit the wall. I've done nothing."  
  
Duo opened his mouth to retort something but stopped as he realized that he had nothing to say. Frowning in disappointment and defeat he dropped back to sitting on the bed, his arms folded across his chest. He turned his head and looked at the door, hoping that Milliardo would come in and save him from this awkward moment.   
  
Wait a minute. Why was he in here anyway? He wasn't completely sick, and he'd definitely survived a few bruises before. He didn't need to be in health services to get well and besides that what was the guy going to do, give him a band-aid?   
  
Duo made the move to start standing up but immediately froze as he realized that during his contemplation Yuy had moved too. And now the devastatingly handsome professor was standing right in front of him, leaning very close to inspect the bruises on his face. Duo froze and held his breath, realizing just how close they actually were. One little move in the correct direction and they might actually be kissing-  
  
Why was he thinking that?!  
  
"I see you managed to get beaten up on your first day," Yuy said, pulling back a bit. "The hair?"  
  
Duo glared at him. "It's always the hair." His tone made it very clear that that subject was not to be discussed and the professor seemed to take the hint. Duo blinked and tossed him a confused look as he returned to his desk. "Aren't you a bit young to be a professor and a nurse?"  
  
Those deep blue eyes turned back to him and the man gave a very small shrug, almost unnoticeable. "I'm not a professor, but no one respects you in this school if you say you're a teaching assistant. I'm only a temporary replacement until your real professor comes back. This is my full time job."  
  
Duo grinned then made a note to himself to never get sick again. Then he could easily avoid seeing him everyday and could concentrate on Quatre. Things were turning out better then he'd planned! Duo stood up and walked toward the door, intent on heading out.  
  
"That hair is going to get you in trouble here," the man said in a softer voice.  
  
Duo frowned and turned to look at the man, glaring. "My hair, my problem. Not yours."  
  
With those words he stepped out of the office. Meanwhile Yuy leaned back in his chair, a slightly amused smile on his face. He said nothing to the retreating boy, instead he just watched the door slowly slid shut.  
  
**  
  
Milliardo stepped out of the dean's office with a worried look on his face, very unlike himself. Hastily he smoothed out his shirt and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to make himself look presentable… even though he would have looked dazzling in a potato bag. Straightening his clothes once more he started down the hall, intent on heading straight home. After all, his classes were over, and he had many more important things to worry about. Number one being avoiding his sister as much as possible, because she'd no doubt heard the loudspeaker announcement and he really didn't want a lecture from her. Least not in a place where he was cornered, like a hallway full of students.   
  
So he ducked out through one of the janitor's closets and started on the walk home, his hand rubbing the side of his neck unconsciously as he walked.  
  
"For shame Milly!"  
  
Milliardo groaned and stopped. He hadn't avoided his sister after all… but Relena never called him Milly… He turned and found Duo standing behind him with a mocking look of disappointment. Milliardo blinked and a smirk melted across his face as he realized that he'd completely forgotten about Duo in the nurse's office.  
  
"You left me in Health Services with a guy who nearly killed me this morning!" Duo said, catching up to him.  
  
"You appear to have taken care of yourself."  
  
Duo frowned and kicked a rock on the sidewalk. "Just barely! Man that guy gives me the creeps!"  
  
Milliardo smirked as they began walking toward Duo's home. It was the perfect way to avoid his sister; he could walk Duo back to his house. Plus it meant he could spend more time with the beautiful braided youth and finally discover where he lived. As strange as that sounded Duo had this thing about letting people see where he lived, he didn't. Milliardo had never been able to find out why because Duo would always shrug and never offer an answer. So maybe, if he played his cards right, he'd be able to solve that little mystery today. If anything it took his mind off the more troubling thoughts that had just entered his life.  
  
"Heero Yuy?" Milliardo asked, turning his attention back to Duo.  
  
Duo blinked at him in surprise. "You know him?"  
  
Milliardo shrugged a bit. "It pays for a man to know who his rivals are."  
  
Duo groaned slightly. "Rival? Isn't it against the rules for a professor to go out with a student? Age difference or something?"  
  
"One, he's not a professor. He's only a grad student subbing for one of the professors on campus. Two, everyone here is over eighteen and that makes them legal game for everyone else. Three, rivals are rivals, no matter what the age or occupation." Milliardo smirked. "Especially when certain people you like seem to be attracted to them."  
  
That stopped Duo right in his tracks. "I do not find him attractive!"  
  
Milliardo raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh really?"  
  
"No! I don't! The guy nearly killed me this morning by running me over with his car. And he's teaching my class, I swear he spent the entire time staring at me. He's infuriating and cold and just plain not… I am not attracted to him!"  
  
Milliardo chuckled. The true words of someone in denial.  
  
"Besides, you know I only care for Quatre."  
  
Milliardo suppressed his urge to swear at that one and hid his reaction as best he could by shrugging it off. How did the conversation turn back to Quatre? No, he knew the answer to that one; it always came back to Quatre when you talked to Duo. Duo was so in love with him it bordered obsession, but in the good way… if you were Quatre. However that left Milliardo out on his own, and he didn't like that idea. He'd loved Duo since the first time they met and he wasn't about to let the braided youth away without a fight. Not a chance!  
  
"Well, here's my stop."  
  
Milliardo pulled out of his thoughts to find they were standing in front of a large church made of brick and granite. He suppressed a growl and instead flashed a smile at Duo. "You don't live here."  
  
"True, but I promised Father I'd help him with the gardening today. I'll see you tomorrow at class." With those words the braided boy tossed him a wave then raced up the stairs and into the building.  
  
Milliardo stood on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets as he scowled. It was always the same, Duo always came here after class, nothing about that boy had changed. He still went to great efforts to keep his family and home a secret, and Milliardo semi-respected that by not using his money to track his friend down. But that didn't mean it didn't infuriate him. Just what in the world was Duo so worried about him and others finding out anyway?  
  
Frowning he turned and headed toward his own home.  
  
Quatre probably knew where Duo lived. Quatre probably knew a lot more about Duo then Milliardo could ever hope to know. To think that Duo cared so much for that young blond boy was ridiculous. Especially when Milliardo knew that Quatre already had his eyes set on someone else.  
  
Milliardo scowled. No, he wasn't about to let Duo get hurt by this. He wasn't about to let Quatre hurt him… even if that meant keeping them apart. He would just have to find a way of doing it and not letting Duo know. Then maybe Duo would finally come to his senses.  
  
**  
  
Quatre turned his head and sneezed twice, in quick succession.  
  
"Bless you," came the quiet voice from the front of the classroom. The blond smiled lightly and stood up, retrieving a tissue then returned to his seat.  
  
Leaning back over the assignments in front of him he frowned and picked up his red pen again. Sneezing twice usually meant someone was thinking about you… in a negative fashion. He paused and let his aquamarine eyes slide up to glance at the professor sitting at the front of the classroom, then he quickly looked back to the papers.  
  
No, no, he would never think any bad thoughts about him. Least Quatre hoped not.   
  
A blush crept slightly across his face and he tilted his head down a bit more to hide it as he went back to checking the assignments. No, no, the professor would never think anything negative about him… except perhaps that he did his job too well.  
  
He finished grading the rest of the papers with a small smile on his face and by the time he was finished he'd managed to get rid of the blush which usually slid across his face. Standing he picked up the papers and set them quietly on the professor's desk.  
  
"Thank you, Quatre."  
  
Quatre smiled happily at the praise. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"  
  
The man thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, that's all for today. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."  
  
Quatre smiled once again. "Of course! Good night, sensai."  
  
The young blond took his jacket from the hook in the corner then left the classroom, the smile still sitting on his face. He'd completely forgotten about the two sneezes, instead he was more concerned about the professor he was assisting. No, there was no way the young handsome professor could ever think anything bad about Quatre. In fact, Quatre was quite sure that there wasn't a bad cell in that man's body.  
  
And quite a handsome body it was…  
  
Quatre blushed brightly and quickly headed on his way home. Sometimes crushes could be such a pain… and yet others times they were complete bliss. 


	5. Part 4

Author's Note: for all intents and purposes I've swapped around people's ages, if you haven't already noticed. So they are as follows: Duo is 18, Relena and Zechs are 19, Quatre is 20, Heero is 21, Wufei is 22, Trowa is 25, and Treize is 28. Hope that makes more sense now.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The first day of classes had actually gone on rather smoothly. No major problems of any merit had popped up and hours after all the students had left the building, Heero Yuy was to be found in his office looking over an old pile of paper work. Being that it was a college class he was subbing for and only the first day there wasn't a single bit of homework for him to correct. His other job, however, was different.  
  
He'd originally been hired as the school's health assistant as a small job to help him pay for studying directly under one of the professors. It was a unique set up for a graduate college student, especially for one of his youth, but it did benefit all parties quite well. What he hadn't expected, however, was that the professor he was studying under would receive an offer to teach for a semester overseas that he couldn't possibly refuse. As a result Heero was given Professor Howard's job, temporarily, and he was able to keep his job as the health assistant, provided he didn't falter in either.   
  
A very unique set up indeed.  
  
Yet Heero had a feeling he could actually get used to a set up like this. Especially if things moved on as smoothly as they had today. Aside from the incident with the strange braided boy nothing had gone wrong.  
  
A knock on the door and Heero glanced up from the papers in front of him. He wasn't surprised to find the slightly older Asian man standing there, leaning against the doorframe and smirking at him. Heero nodded a small greeting before glancing back at the paperwork before him.  
  
"It's the first day of classes and already you're working late."  
  
Heero glanced up at the clock only to find that it was nearly two hours later then he thought it was. Frowning he set down his pen. "I suppose I am."  
  
Wufei chuckled from the door and stepped in, walking over to sit on the edge of the desk. "That is so like you, Yuy, to lose yourself in your work. So how did things go today, teaching Howard's class?"  
  
The younger Japanese man leaned back in his chair and stretched. "As well as can be expected. I took your advice. They do appear to respect me more if they think I have a title, even if I'm not too much older then they are."  
  
Wufei nodded.  
  
Meanwhile Heero stood up and straightened his pile of papers, slipping them safely into a folder. "I suppose I should head home here, then. He'll be worried if I'm out much longer." He walked to the closet and pulled out his jacket, changing his wire frames for a pair of darker sunglasses.  
  
"He can wait a little longer can't he? I'll take you to dinner if you'll allow it."  
  
Heero smirked lightly at his friend. "You act like he's my guardian or something."  
  
Wufei smirked back. "No, you do, with your constant need to report back to him before doing anything. It makes a guy jealous… almost."  
  
"Ha, ha." Heero said, mock frowning at his friend. "But you're right, he can live with waiting tonight. Dinner it is." Walking past Wufei he headed for the door but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Just don't expect this to become a normal occurrence."  
  
Wufei chuckled. "No, of course not. We all know who has a hold on your chain."  
  
Heero glared at his friend over the dark sunglasses for that one but otherwise he let the comment slide. It was an old argument and he really didn't expect Wufei to understand, even if he explained the whole story. So he just let it slide, let his friend think what he would. Heero knew the truth of the situation and that's all he really cared about.  
  
**  
  
Duo shrugged his backpack to one side and attempted to push open the kitchen door, only to find that something was blocking its path. He frowned and tried pushing again, but the door refused to move. There was barely enough room to see around the door, and certainly not enough to let him through, but he didn't need to glance around it to know what was holding it shut.  
  
Or rather who.  
  
"Hey mom, the door is stuck again!" Duo called out, knowing perfectly well that that wasn't true. And the small giggle that rose in the air confirmed his suspicions.  
  
Duo grinned and gave the door a hard push, which didn't help at all, then he stepped back quickly and laughed as the door nearly slammed shut and he heard someone tumble to the ground on the other side. Jumping forward he pushed the door open to find a younger boy lying on the ground, glaring at him.  
  
"No fair!" The boy cried.  
  
"Serves you right, you fall for that trick every time." Duo grinned down at him. "You gotta learn to come up with new ways of trying to keep me out of the house, Solo."  
  
The young boy just stuck out his tongue and stood up, brushing himself off. Turning away from his brother he raced up the stairs. "Can't keep you out of the house, but I can keep you out of our room!"  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Duo dropped his backpack and tore down the hall after the kid, running as fast as he could without destroying the furniture in his path. He heard his mother yell something from her room but it didn't register in his mind. Instead he reached the door long before his brother could shut it and tackled the boy to the ground, tickling him until he surrendered.  
  
Solo was Duo's younger brother by about six years but looked nothing like him. Solo had purple eyes, just like his older brother, and that's where the similarities ended. Instead of chestnut brown colored locks Solo sported dark red hair from his father, which was cut very short in the back with two small locks allowed to grow in the front. His mother had thrown a fit when he'd come home with the hair cut because he'd had it done at a friend's house without any warning. Eventually she'd gotten used to it. Duo couldn't decide if the kid's hair looked cool or strange; he was just happy that Solo wasn't trying to copy him anymore.  
  
"So, is the big bad college as scary as you thought it would be?" Solo asked after the little tickle fight they'd had.  
  
"I never said I thought it would be scary," Duo snorted back as he pulled off his shoes and threw his socks in the dirty clothes basket.  
  
"Did too," Solo poked back.  
  
Duo just rolled his eyes.  
  
A taller woman appeared at the door to their bedroom, Duo's backpack in her hand. She glanced at the two with an attempted sour look but failed miserably. Helen Maxwell could never stay angry at her two sons, which made giving them discipline quite hard.  
  
"Forget something?" She asked, holding out the backpack to him.  
  
"Oh, yeah, thanks. The little twerp tried to lock me out again." Duo took the backpack and placed it on the desk, pulling out his books.  
  
"Don't call me twerp!"  
  
Helen smiled and shook her head. "You two promise not to rip apart the house if I go out for groceries?"  
  
Both boys looked up and smiled innocently at her, nodding.  
  
"Why does that look always scare me," she murmured. But she headed for the door anyway, gathering her things.  
  
"Oh mom! Father said to stop by when you get a chance!" Duo called after her. He didn't look to see if she nodded though because he was sure she heard. Instead he turned back to putting away his books from the day and figuring out what he needed to do for tomorrow. In the process of pulling out one of his books a small photo slipped out of the backpack. His brother moved like lightning and snatched it from the floor even before Duo could notice.  
  
Solo made a face at the photo. "You're still looking for him?"   
  
Duo blinked in surprise and turned, attempting to snatch the photo from his brother. "Give it back."  
  
Solo danced out of the way. "Hey mom, my brother's in love with the boy who used to live down the street," he mock called. Both boys knew their mother had already left, but that didn't stop Duo from pouncing at the kid. Luckily he caught the photo just as Solo was going to drop it in the trashcan. "Gross!" Solo said, making a face again.  
  
"What do you care?" Duo shot back, slipping the photo in a safe place. "And you know she wouldn't care even if you told her."  
  
Solo frowned and sat down on his own bed, which was across the room from Duo's. "It's still gross."  
  
Duo just rolled his eyes. "You don't like boys, so then go chase after girls, see if I care."  
  
"Gross! Gross! Gross!"  
  
Duo grabbed the pillow from his bed and tossed it at his younger brother, hitting him in the arm thanks to bad aim. "Quiet already I got homework to do!"   
  
Solo gave a dramatic sigh and stood up, heading for the door. Leaving his brother to do his homework, but not before poking his head back into the room one last time just to make sure his brother realized that he thought it was gross. Duo just ignored him and started on his homework.  
  
He loved the little twerp, really he did. And most of the time he didn't even mind sharing a room with him, not that he had a choice though since their house was so small. But there were days like these where it was a real pain.  
  
Taking a moment to glance at Quatre's picture he felt a smile tug across his face.  
  
"I'm sure I'll find you tomorrow."  
  
And then he began his homework.  
  
**  
  
He hated arriving home late. He hated to not give him any warning about where he was, but Wufei had been insistent. In the end Heero had gone to dinner with his friend and they'd spent a good amount of time talking in the restaurant, catching up on all the things they hadn't had a chance to talk about last time.  
  
Wufei was one of those friends who was good at conversation, though you wouldn't think it when you first met him. Like Heero he was generally the silent type and tended more to speak to people with actions rather than words. But when he and Heero got together for an evening the conversation carried out like you wouldn't believe. The two had grown up together and that friendship wasn't lost on anyone. Their conversations were still as long as when they'd first met, though not nearly as animated as one might think. Neither were talkative around any one else, it was just a character trait that they seemed draw out of each other.  
  
Yet, try as he might, on late nights like this he was never able to sneak back into the apartment silently. And even if he could have the figure sitting on the couch, waiting patiently while he read a college textbook, caught him anyway. Heero's shoulders sagged slightly in defeat as he was spotted.   
  
"Have fun out with Wufei?" asked Quatre's quiet voice. It was a perfectly normal question, not holding any accusation whatsoever. Even so Heero couldn't help but feel guilty, even if he knew Quatre would never get mad at him for being out late.  
  
He simply nodded as he hung up his coat and switched back to his normal glasses, not volunteering any more information.  
  
Quatre yawned softly and closed his book. "Everything go fine with your class?"  
  
Heero nodded once again, but he wasn't blind. He didn't miss the disappointed look on Quatre's face. Frowning lightly to himself he stepped into the bedroom to change clothes and get ready for bed. Quatre followed him after a moment of silently sitting on the couch.  
  
The two got ready for bed in silence. Usually they talked more, or rather Quatre did. Heero was never very talkative around Quatre, something he hated. But there were some people that one just couldn't be comfortable around, especially when you lived with someone who you held in the utmost respect. Wufei would have probably laughed if Heero actually confessed how much he admired Quatre for what he'd done.  
  
Lights snapped out and only the moonlight shone in the room, across their two beds separated only by a night table. Before Heero closed his eyes he was able to see Quatre flash him a bright smile.  
  
"Night Heero," he said quietly.  
  
"Good night… brother."  
  
** 


End file.
